Gajar ka Halwa

A sweet Indian pudding prepared with milk, sugar and carrots. Gajar ka halwa also referred to as Gajrela is traditionally prepared by boiling milk and carrots together to a point where milk is 80% reduced and then ghee is generously added. Unlike other halwas this particular halwa- Gajrela takes you down the memory lane – when mom cooked this halwa, it’s aroma filled up the whole house making every taste bud in our mouth watery, craving for some right away- feeling nostalgic 🙂

Without compromising the authentic taste and flavor of this recipe I made this lip smacking and mouth watering Gajar ka halwa with just 4 simple ingredients and under 30 minutes. Getting the ingredients ready for this recipe was a piece of cake but wearying task was to SHRED/GRATE the carrots. Once sugar is added to carrots it releases a lot of liquid – keep sauteing till all the liquid evaporates and carrots are soft. Check by rubbing them in between your fingers till it feels soft. Time to add milk powder and Gajar ka halwa will be ready in another 10 minutes. Total preparation time – 30 minutes (which includes time required to grate carrots)+ 30 minutes to cook.Do give this recipe a try- Cook time should keep anyone away from trying their favorite recipe.

No milk powder on hand – substitute it with 3/4 cup of dry mawa powder. Time for me to dig in and enjoy this flavorful GAJJAR KA HALWA.

Add Sugar and once sugar is added carrots become very watery. Keep sauteing on a medium low flame till all the liquid has evaporated.

A much closer look after adding sugar.

Once all the water has dried up, take few carrot shreds and rub them in between your fingers. It should feel soft, add milk powder, eliachi and saute for another 2-3 minutes till everything is blended.

If there are milk powder lumps in halwa - no worries, just mash them with a spoon and mix. Halwa is ready. Taste and adjust sugar.

14 Responses

Thanks for stopping by Padmini. My apologizes for the late response. Somehow, your email landed in my spam folder.
On to your query – You can prepare gajar ka halwa the traditional way. Boil carrots in milk until milk is reduced to half. Milk will thicken and carrots will become soft. Add sugar and nuts and enjoy!!

Hi Ruchi, i am calling my friends for dinner. I always keep my menu very simple for such invites followed by homemade dessert mostly kheer/ ice cream… this time a kid is coming and milk intolerant. Can you suggest some dessert without milk and what do kids like most usually. I have no experience and when i invite friends with kids i see they don’t enjoy kheer as much.

Thanks for stopping by Nilofar! I have always made Rasgullas with fresh Paneer but not with store bought paneer. Have to experiment with it first to see how Rasgullas turn out to be? Will keep you posted. 🙂